Pistol Primers in Cast Rifle Loads

[1Shirt]

:coffee: Am curious as to how many out there use pistol primers for cast rifle loads. I have had some sucess with them with fast burning pistol/shotgun powders(i.e.
Red Dot, Blue Dot, 700X, and Unique), and seem to get just a shade better accuracy with them over rifle primers. Speaking of that, I have had 3 dud primers with Rem LR primers out of the last 1000 that I bought. Never had any problem with Rem primers in the past. Has any one else experianced duds with Rem Primers? Would appreciate your thoughts based on experiance regarding pistol primes in rifle loads. I thank in advance all who respond to this thread.
1Shirt! :coffeecom

[45 2.1]

Pistol primers can give better accuracy, but it depends on how you shoot. Alot of light loads with pistol primers do better if you raise the muzzle to orient the powder against the primer. I use rifle primers with the shotgun powders and mid to heavy bullets for the cartridge as I field shoot most of the time. And Yes, I have had trouble recently with duds with Rem. primers.

[Blackwater]

It hasn't been common or frequent, but another use I've put LP primers to in the past was to test some loads for pressure, when I THOUGHT I was "sure" there was room to do so. I always thought that, for instance, a .30/30 load that was in question could tell me a lot if I substituted a LP primer for a LR. LP primers do have thinner cups, so any serious flattening of them would give me a good indication of whether I ought to cut back or if there was room to advance the powder charge's wt. or not.

Of course, this can't be used generally, but CAN be done when you're "sure" as a "proof." Lots of discretion needs to be applied, because I've been wrong. But don't tell anyone, OK? ;-)

[Paul B]

There was an article in HANDLOADER Magazine a few years ago where a fellow was trying for higher velocity with cast boolits in the .308 Winchester. seems that by going to standard (IIRC) pistol primers he not only got the higher velocity he was looking for but better groups as well. I've thought about trying his data, but somehow, just never got around to it. It would take me a while to try and locate the article, but I do still have it around here someplace.
Paul B.

[Bass Ackward]

Yep. My rifle loads get pistol primers first and then I try other stuff. My highest velocity loads has always came from pistol primers.

If I play with normal cast loads using standard cast powders, I use rifle primers though to get good ignition.

[TCLouis]

I use the pistol primers in mot of my cast boolit loads. I have found slightly less velocity in some loads, but I feel accuracy far outweighs Velocity!

After all . . . it is . . . Location, Location, Location bullet impact TOO!

[1Shirt]

Good reply threads, thanks. Paul B, if you run accross that Handloader article, would be very interested in a copy of same. Am sure that there area a lot of others who would like to see it posted as well. And Blackwater, like your thoughts concerning the thinner pistol primers and proof factors, will give that some play in the future.
1Shirt!

[El Pistolero]

Might as well comment... been using peestool primers with cast boolit rifle loads for my 30 06 haven't run inot any problems yet. Powder is Unique about 12 to 14 grains.
Only pimers that gave me trouble were some that got contaminated with paraffin.
Some how wax got into the package...shouldn't hae use 'em.
Sometimes I'm too cheap fer ma own gud...

David

[drinks]

I only buy Win. primers, mostly because they are the only brand available locally, I do have a dud now and again.
I have used LP primers in rifle cases, however, the primer pocket on LR primer cases is usually deeper than the primer pocket of pistol cases.
LR primers are .010 taller than LP primers. I had a problem with .44-40 cases, the cases from the '50's to '80's had LR pockets, some time about 2000, Remington changed their cases to LP depth, the first new Rem. case I primed with my Lee hand primer, I could not get the case out of the holder without using both thumbs to smash the primer in the pocket.
Checked the depth of the pocket with the dial caliper and there was .011" difference from my Rem., Win. and Fed. cases from several years ago.
I do get better results with the LP primers in the .44-40 as the 1910 carbine does not have a really strong hammer strike anymore and the thinner metal of the LP primer seems to detonate easier.

[KCSO]

I don't know why it works, but I know it does. Here are two groups fired side by side. Both groups were fired from my Lebel rifle at 50 yards with peep sights. The load was 12.5 of Red Dot and a Lee bullet for the M95 that weighs 204 grains lubed and sized to .3245. The group that runs 1" center to center was with W/W pistol primers and the other group was with W/W rifle primers. With the nominaly pistol powders I have found that the pistol primers will give a smaller group. When I switch to RX7 or IMR3031 then rifle primers do better.